Growing up in the nineties and experiencing the perpetual turbulence of being a teenager in the noughties had its fair share of ups (Power Rangers, Tamagotchi, Ronaldinho) and downs (growing out of Power Rangers, caring for your Tamagotchi, Ronaldinho and that free kick). One of the undisputed highlights of this challenging period of life was the rise of MP3 Players. You know the ones, USB sticks that you could hang around your neck and, if you were lucky, contained a whopping 250MB of storage. This was a far cry from cassette Walkmans, portable CD players and, dare I say it, the MiniDisc. This was a revolution, a technological shift that would transform the consumption of music and herald a new dawn in the way music was to be shoved into our ears.
The humble MP3 stick, home to countless radio rips of ‘Burn’ by Usher.
As this new technology filtered into public consciousness, often via us teens on public transport unleashing our taste via deafening volume and cheap headphones that facilitated for most ears in the immediate vicinity, a company by the name of Apple (you’ve probably heard of them) unveiled the iPod. It was unlike anything that had come before it, boasting an almost impossibly linear set of controls and a design that proved technology could be sexy (if you’re into that thing). Over the next couple of years, something happened. iPods were suddenly everywhere, literally everywhere. They were not just some fad with a short shelf life soon to be at the back of some kid’s wardrobe along with his Power Rangers toys and Tamagotchi; iPods were absolutely here to stay. With the device, Apple had turned habit into fashion. The notion of listening to music on the morning commute used to be a personal choice, but now people were conforming to this crazy idea that those glossy white earphones somehow elevated their cultural status. It was now ‘cool’ to be spotted on a jog with this rectangular block of aluminum backed plastic strapped to your arm. Meanwhile, in schools nationwide, just about all of us rascals were plotting ingenious ways to wire the earphones through our clothing in order to listen to 50 Cent in one ear during class (my favorite method has to be down the sleeve, prop up head on clenched hand that, unbeknown to Mr Whoever, contains one of Apple’s finest earphones). It’s all a bit mad isn’t it? Just look at how cool this ad is, gadgets can’t be cool!
Well, apparently gadgets can be cool. Apple’s typically inventive, mind controlling advertising had got the better of everyone and I was soon nagging my parents to buy me something they just didn’t understanding. It wasn’t long until I got my first iPod, which is still around somewhere in all its bricky, 20GB glory. It would be fairly safe to say that it didn’t get a lot of proper use right away, as most of my musical education at the time came from whatever came on at ice skating on a Friday night. During this phase of my teenage existence, my main concerns were my paper round, Year 9 SATS, ice skating on Friday and spending my paper round money on R&B albums in HMV on Saturdays. It wasn’t looking good for my poor iPod, which had to house the best efforts of Twista, Mario, Lil Jon and many more. Over the next few years, however, things changed. I began to appreciate that music was in fact an art. Music was something that existed for us to subjectively consume. I began to listen to different things, albeit via whichever ludicrous social phase I was currently in. I would enjoy Blink-182 and (sigh) Avril Lavigne around the time that people started clipping bicycle chains to their jeans. I would enjoy Klaxons when we all went mad for ‘nu-rave’ and wore brightly coloured nylon shit. I would even enjoy the absurdity of Muse during a somewhat conflicted two years of classic teenage ‘who am I?’ bother.
With me through all this change was my iPod. Is there anything else than can so adequately support the turbulent life of a teenager? Unlike so many flash in the pan, useless pieces of shit that are constantly marketed to the younger generation, the iPod took on a life of its own. Every iPod is unique to someone, just like a person’s record collection or photo album. It is a quintessential piece of technology that, like a dog, reflects the traits and idiosyncrasies of its owner, turning a mere catalog of music into a portrait of whomever collated that particular array of aural niceties.
My weapon of choice, because nobody really needs WiFi on an iPod.
“Why does any of this matter?” you may be asking yourself. Well, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really but with the ever increasing convergence of handheld technologies, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to envision a strong future for this once dominant bit of kit. Last financial quarter Apple sold 26 million iPhones and 17 million iPads. Only 6 million iPods were sold, a figure boosted by a spike during the Christmas holidays. It seems that nowadays the convenience of one device is just too, well, convenient for most people to even debate carrying a secondary device dedicated to music. So where does this leave those of us who don’t mind a bit of extra weight in our pockets? Financially, it would make a lot of sense for Apple to discontinue the iPod and focus on their big sellers in the consumer sector, namely the iPhone and iPad. There is a danger, however, that this move would deter those who bought into Apple as a direct result of the iPod. iPods opened up entirely new realms of success and domination for the company that is now valued as one of the most important, forward-thinking brands of the 21st century.
In short, my iPod is one of my most treasured belongings. It’s been with me across the continent, soundtracked countless car journeys and saved me from many unwanted conversations on public transport. It’s taught me that music is much more than background noise or whoever wins The X Factor. It even came back from the dead a year after being dropped in a puddle – a year during which I used my phone as an iPod and can confirm that it’s nowhere near as good. The best way to conclude this is to let the music do the talking, so here are five tracks that I wouldn’t have come close to understanding without listening to it on my iPod. Of course, listening on headphones is mandatory.
Sigur Rós – Ára Bátur
I remember walking somewhere and this song causing my jaw to scrape along the pavement. Over the course of 9 minutes it goes ftom an elegant, barely-there piano ballad to a rousing and utterly Earth shuddering display of sheer beauty.
65daysofstatic – Tiger Girl
Have you ever wanted to walk somewhere really fast? If so, this is probably the song for you. What starts off as a pretty straight forward, techno based number soon becomes a meticulous selection of layers that just seems to keep growing and growing. The crescendo might just finish you off.
Moderat – Rusty Nails
There’s something so otherworldly about the production on this. The effect on headphones of the synth that creeps its way into the chorus is one of those tiny aspects of a track that demands repeat listens.
The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
I can’t help but crack a wry smile every time I think about first hearing this on my iPod. I was so amazed by those little beeps that flitted from ear to ear at the start of the track and was in awe of the fact that someone actually did that, they purposefully did that. This was my first real taste of ‘electronic’ music and really opened doors in my musical taste – I suppose the angst ridden lyrical content probably helped to enamour the teenage me a bit too.
Balam Acab – Apart
My go-to track for nights I can’t get to sleep, simple as that.
